


say my name

by londer



Category: Dimension 20, Fantasy High
Genre: Campaign 01 Season 01: Fantasy High Freshman Year (Dimension 20), Campaign 01 Season 02: Fantasy High Sophomore Year (Dimension 20), F/M, Fluff, Getting Together, Homecoming, Positive Discussions of Consent, Theme Parks, protective parents but also protective parents who arent gonna slutshame u, set during their senior year, setting boundaries in a relationship, someone prompted this as a rarepair and i was like fuck it lets see what thats like, trans!fabian - it comes up but is not a plot point
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:53:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26683987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/londer/pseuds/londer
Summary: A heavy warm weight settles around her shoulders and Adaine jolts up in her seat. Class doesn’t start for a bit yet, and she was sitting alone in the library doing a bit of work. Fabian leans against the table she's sitting at, having deposited his letterman jacket around her shoulders. He’s carefully not really looking at her.“What?” she asks. Fabian’s jacket is warm from his body heat and smells like his only moderately douchey cologne.“Uh,” Fabian says. The tips of his ears are flushed. “Today’s homecoming.”
Relationships: Fabian Aramais Seacaster/Adaine Abernant
Comments: 53
Kudos: 95





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For some anon on tumblr who was like fabian/adaine and I was like ??? how would that look in the canon universe so I wrote this. Set during senior year so they're maybe a bit older and wiser than they currently are in in canon but like. Whatever. Idk really how I feel about this and i'm mostly glad that it's done.

"Ad _aine_ ," Fabian said plaintively, stretching her name out over two syllables. It's the first weekend of senior year, and they're sitting at the dining room table of Seacaster Manor working on their pairs assignment for their Real Life Skills class. Well, Adaine's working on it. Fabian's been doodling on a notepad for a while now. "It's _nice out_ and this essay is _bullshit_." 

He doesn't get up to leave, though, because he's a much better project partner now than he used to be. Fabian's right, though, it _is_ nice out, unseasonably hot and sunny for the first week of September, and this essay _is_ bullshit. "We can take a break," she says, pushing her laptop away, and Fabian's face lights up. 

"There's a reason you're my favorite," he says, leaping up from the table. "Let's go swimming, we can lend you a bathing suit."

"Uh, no, that's alright," she says, also standing and stretching out the crick that was forming in the base of her spine. The one time she made the mistake of accepting his offer she'd been handed a mess of strings that probably cost several hundred gold pieces despite being made of less fabric than a standard bandana. She can just dip her feet in for today. 

He shrugs and bounds away up the stairs to his room, and Adaine slips out the French doors to the patio to go sit on the edge of the Seacasters' big kidney-shaped pool. The sun is hot and the paving stones are scorching on her bare feet, but the water is nice and cool on her feet and calves. And her face, when Fabian comes running out the house and goes cannon-balling into the pool. He resurfaces a few feet away from her, wiping his white curls away from his face. Adaine kicks a little wave of water at him as polite revenge, which makes him splutter and laugh before he dives back underwater. She quickly yanks her feet out of the pool, because she knows what that grin means. 

Fabian pops back up right by the edge of the pool where she's sitting and he pulls himself out to sit on the edge beside her. Water drips down over his muscles and the thin white smiles of scars beneath his pecs. Not that Adaine's looking. It really is hot out, huh; she puts her feet back in the pool for the cool wash of water over her skin.

"Sure you don't want to borrow anything so you can go in?" He offers again. Fabian leans back on his elbows and it seems a little absurd how the afternoon sun glitters off his wet skin. "Or you can jump in like this and borrow dry stuff to wear home." 

Fuck it. Being around Fabian brings out the best in her restless instincts, and so she scooches herself a few inches forward and drops over the edge into the water. Adaine feels more than hears him crash back into the water beside her.

* * *

( She arrives home with wet hair wearing a pair of Fabian's sweatpants that have been cinched down to fit her and one of his BloodRush camp t-shirts. Fig makes a funky little screechy noise and yanks her bodily out of the hallway before she can go into the kitchen where Sandra Lynn and Garthy are cooking dinner. 

"Did you!" Fig hauls Adaine up the stairs towards her tower. "Are those _Fabian's_!?" 

"Yeah?" Adaine says. And then Realizes. "Oh, for fuck's sake Fig, we went swimming." 

Fig drops her arms and rolls her eyes. "You guys are so stupid, you know that right?" Adaine goes to protest but Fig fixes her with a look. "Don't make me call Aelwyn. She'll drive up from college to come make fun of you." )

* * *

"Adaine," Fabian says. He's hovering in the doorway to her room and looks uncharacteristically nervous. 

She sits up on her bed from where she was sprawled out watching Netflix on her laptop. "Hey! Is something wrong?" 

He makes a face and comes into her tower properly, and she realizes he's holding a small bouquet of flowers. "Ah, well, as you very well know, homecoming is next Friday. And I wanted to ask if you would...go with me?" 

"Oh," Adaine says, startled and flat, and he deflates a bit more, and she swings back quickly. "Oh! Yes, okay. I'd like that. You just surprised me, I didn't think you would ask." She'd vaguely made plans to go as friends with Kristen and Riz, but they probably won't mind. Adaine rolls off her bed and meets him in the airy center of her bedroom. He offers her the flowers and she takes them, clutches them tight to her chest. They're beautiful, a pink and yellow mix, and there's a funny little spark in her chest as they smile sheepishly at each other. 

“I, well,” Fabian starts, then rubs the back of his neck. “Do you know what you’re wearing yet? So I can get a matching tie?” 

A _matching tie_. Cassandra. Fig’s going to have a field day with this. “Yeah. It’s red. Here-“ She steps away from him and places the flowers on her desk before retrieving her dress from the closet. They were standing really close together and she takes a few calming breaths as she pulls her dress from the rack. 

She holds it up for him to see (it’s painfully awkward but she’s committed) and he nods. “Blue toned true red. I’ll send an order to my tailor. It’s very pretty.” His voice picks up in a rush at the end. 

“Fig picked it,” Adaine says because what else is there to say? 

“Uh,” Fabian says. He looks as awkward as Adaine feels. “I’ll be going now so you can go back to your studying.” 

“Oh, okay,” she says. She’d maybe like to ask him to stay but the words feel trapped in her throat. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow then.”

* * *

( 

**mighty mouses**

**Adaine:** So

 **Adaine:** I can't go as friends to homecoming with you guys

 **Kristen** : ur secretly in love with us and going as friends would be too painful??

 **Kristen:** ;) ;) ;)

 **Kristen** : we're just 2 sexi :P

 **Adaine:** you got it Kristen (lol)

 **Adaine:** no, like, Fabian asked me to go with him

 **Riz:** Fig owes me money.

 **Kristen** : SKSDKLSKDKS

 **Kristen:** OPEN UR DOOR I WNAT THE TEA

**Fig <33**

**Fig <33: ** OPEN UP BITCH

 **Fig <33**: K NA D I WILL BREKA DOWN THIS DOOR

**Sisters (kinda)**

**Kristen:** ADAINE I WILL CYBERBULLY U OUT OF UR ROOM

 **Fig <33: **DONT MAKE US GET JAWBONE

 **Adaine** : fineee you guys are the worst

 **Adaine:** it's really not a big deal I don't know why you're fussing so much)

* * *

A heavy warm weight settles around her shoulders and Adaine jolts up in her seat. Class doesn’t start for a bit yet, and she was sitting alone in the library doing a bit of work. Fabian leans against the table she's sitting at, having deposited his letterman jacket around her shoulders. He’s carefully not really looking at her.

“What?” she asks. Fabian’s jacket is warm from his body heat and smells like his only moderately douchey cologne. 

“Uh,” Fabian says. The tips of his ears are flushed. “Today’s homecoming.” 

“I know that,” Adaine says. She, Fig, and Kristen had a pre-homecoming pamper night yesterday and have plans to meet up right after school to get ready for the game and dance tonight. 

“It’s, ah, _customary_. For BloodRush players to. You know. Give their date their letterman for the day of and also to wear to the game? For good luck?” 

“Oh,” Adaine never paid any attention to it, but she supposes it’s the kind of ritual that highschoolers would construct. “Yeah, I’ll wear it.” She slides her arms into the sleeves; they’re nearly the same height so it fits her pretty well. "For luck, of course."

“Of course.” Fabian’s nodding too much but he’s finally properly looking at her. He’s really cute when he’s nervous. “Six thirty kickoff tonight.”

“We’ll be there,” Adaine promises.

* * *

(She eats lunch with Zelda on Fridays, and she's wearing Gorgug's varsity jacket. It nearly hits the floor on her. Zelda's a much better friend than Kristen and Fig, and she doesn't say anything about Adaine wearing Fabian's jacket beyond a slightly lifted eyebrow. 

Someone (probably Fig) texts Aelwyn a photo of Adaine in the jacket. She's home from college for the weekend and has the free time to spam Adaine's phone with crying laughing and eyes emojis.)

* * *

The game is cold, bitter November air nipping at her face, but Fabian's jacket is warm around her. She huddles close with Fig, Kristen, Aelwyn, and Zelda in the stands as they watch the team do their sports thing and eat snacks from the commissary. It's a tight game based on the scoreboard, but the OwlBears eke out a win over the Bastion City Biters to the roar of a homecoming crowd. 

The hoot along with everyone and then rush to Aelwyn's car to head back to Mordred to get changed for the dance. Adaine's nervous, in her stomach and chest, as she gets ready, smoothing repeatedly at the fabric of her skirt and bouncing her leg as she tries to sit still while Aelwyn curls her hair for her. Aelwyn notices because she's Aelwyn, and she gives Adaine a knowing smirk in the mirror. 

"Shut up," Adaine says. 

"I didn't say anything," Aelwyn says, feigning surprise. She fluffs Adaine's hair through her fingers so the curls loosen around her face. Aelwyn plants a kiss on top of Adaine's head and then steps back so Adaine can get up. "You look cute. Stop freaking out." 

"I'm not freaking out," Adaine mumbles, and goes to get her shoes and bag before descending from their tower to sit on Kristen's bed to watch Zelda try to help with Kristen's tie. 

"They're _here_ ," Fig bursts into the room. She's in a gold shimmery jumpsuit and Ayda is right behind her waving awkwardly at them in a black suit. "C'mon, picture time!!"

Fabian, Gorgug, and Riz are in the living room talking to Jawbone and Sandra Lynn, and Aelwyn's messing with her big fancy DSLR and taking some shots to do lighting things. There's this _moment_ when they all walk in where they all turn and take in the girls coming downstairs, where eyes widen and breaths catch and Adaine's heart squeezes at the way Fabian's face changes when he sees her. Fabian looks really good. Some people are born to wear suits and he's one of them. His hair is swept back neatly and his tie perfectly matches her dress and he reaches for her hand as she goes over to him. 

"Hey," he says, sounding awestruck, still looking her over. Adaine pretends to not see Aelwyn and Jawbone exchanging a very distinct Look. "You look great." 

"Thanks. So do you." She's blushing and everyone is definitely lowkey looking at them. Fig, blessed perfect wonderful Fig who probably doesn’t even know how she’s saving Adaine right now, starts to make a fuss about photos and the attention slips away from them and they’re able to step off to one side together as Fig and Ayda start posing in front of the giant marble fireplace in the living room. “Oh! I have your jacket, it’s just upstairs, let me go grab it for you.” 

“No!” he says, and his hand tightens on hers, pulling her back into his space from where she was trying to turn to head back up to her tower. “No, it’s quite alright. I’ll get it back from you some other time.” 

“Guys come _on_ ,” Kristen says. They’re doing a group photo and everyone is looking at them again so Adaine quickly drops Fabian’s hand and goes over to join them.

* * *

("Have fun tonight," Jawbone says, clapping Fabian on the shoulder and smiling with all his fangs while the girls are taking photos together. "If you hurt her she'll literally kill you and then Fig will kill you again in hell.")

* * *

The dance is nice. Fabian spins her around the floor and she does her best to set her nerves aside and just have fun bopping with her friends. She gets a lot of compliments on her dress, which makes her blush and makes Fabian both preen at having his date complimented and pull her tighter to make sure people know who she’s there with. It’s a little cute and a little annoying and _very_ Fabian of him. Adaine’s not one for big events, but she does her best to hide how her energy starts flagging as her social battery starts to wear down.

“Hey,” Fabian says, pulling her gently off the dance floor. He wraps an arm around her waist so they’re still standing quite close together. “Doing okay?” She shrugs. She’s not here to ruin anyone’s night by turning in early. “I’m kind of over this, so we can go if you want.” 

“Oh,” she says. Her suspicions say otherwise. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” he says, and starts walking them towards the makeshift coat check that’s been set up. “Do you want to go home right away? Or we could stop for food.”

“Basrar’s?” She asks hopefully.

“Obviously.” Fabian rolls his eyes. “Where else?”

* * *

(Aelwyn's asleep when Adaine stumbles into her tower at nearly one in the morning, feet tired and clumsy in her heels. She shoots awake when Adaine knocks her empty water bottle off her desk while trying to turn on her fairy lights in the hopes of keeping her asleep while she gets ready for bed. 

"Well, little sister?" Aelwyn demands, leaning on the railing on her top bunk to squint at her. "Did you get your kisses in?" 

"I - _no_ ," Adaine says. "Isn't it weird for you to ask me that?" 

"I'm your sister and - oh, no, I see what you're getting at, no, I don't think it's weird, Fabian and I made out, like, three times _total_ so it's definitely fine for you to want to get all up in there. Plus, like, he was dating that fire genasi for a while last year so maybe he's even a good kisser now."

" _Aelwyn_!")

* * *

“Adaine,” Fabian says, and her name is soft in his mouth. The lounge at Seacaster Manor is cozy in an expensive way, with a giant sectional couch and warm lighting. They’re curled up on the reclining section of the couch watching a movie, legs tangled together under the silky soft folds of Fabian’s battle sheet. Adaine had her head pillowed against his chest and could hear the quick thump of his heartbeat against her ear, but she pulls away to sit up a little when he says her name. 

This is a date, is the thing. Hard to say if it’s their _first_ date, but it’s the first one that’s a proper date where everyone involved knows that that's what's going on. Her heart’s been going just as fast as Fabian’s all through dinner (takeout, eaten sitting pressed knee-to-knee on the floor using the ottoman as a table) and the movie (some spy movie that rides the line of action and comedy; Adaine was pleasantly surprised by how much she likes it).

She looks up at him and the strong line of his jaw and the red slash that governs his face where his eye once was. He doesn’t wear his eyepatch at home, and it bubbles in her chest that he trusts her so much to be seen without it. 

“I -,” he starts, and then clearly loses his nerve and asks, “Do you want popcorn?” 

“Oh, sure,” she says, because she would, but also regrets it when he wiggles out from under the sheet. He goes over to a futuristic looking black box that rattles to life with a grumble, and she fumbles through the cushions for the remote. “Do you want me to pause it?” 

“No, thank you,” he says. The physical distance between them feels weird. She adjusts the blankets to tuck them more snugly around herself and pretends to watch the movie when she's really watching him. He's really just. Fabian. In sweatpants and a loose t-shirt and his locs loose and messy around his head. He doesn't look like the ruthless fighter she knows he can be. He just looks like a particularly cute high school senior. Who holds her hand while they hang out and asks her to school dances and makes her tea just how she likes it when they study together and punched that sophomore who was talking shit about her. Who wants to date her. Who she wants to date. 

She squeezes Boggy in the pocket of her sweatshirt, out of nervous reflex more than anything else. Fabian comes back over with a big bowl of steaming popcorn and she lets go of some of the sheet so he can cuddle back in with her. Their hands keep hitting each other in the bowl and Fabian does the terrible wonderful goofy yawn-so-he-can-wrap-his-arm-around-her-shoulders thing. 

"Do you want anything else?" He asks. She pauses because maybe that could be an innuendo of some sort. His heartbeat _is_ still going kind of quickly and Fabian could kiss her now and Adaine would be extremely cool with it. 

But probably he's really just offering more snacks or a drink or something. She shakes her head, and tries to be subtle about snuggling closer to his chest. He's really warm and it's getting a little late. "No, I'm good, thanks." 

The movie ends and the credits roll to some bland pop song, but neither of them move from the warmth of each other. It's probably getting close to midnight. 

There's a flash of blue arcana across her vision as the Powers That Be drop a vision across her retinas. The light fades as quickly as it appeared, but Fabian's noticed, is sitting up and cupping her face with his hand to look at her recently back to normal eyes. 

"You were going to ask if I wanted a ride home," she says. Adaine's mind parses the vision out too quickly, and it's a short vision with no prophecy which means the future she saw of getting on the back of the Hangman and being politely dropped off at her door isn't quite immutable. "But you wanted to ask something else, I think." 

Her nerves are a bunch in her chest and Fabian is wide-eyed and brows-lifted and his hand is still gently holding her face from when he thought she was about to start writhing on the floor while receiving a prophecy. "Dirty pool, Adaine," he says. His eyes keep flicking away from meeting hers and she tries not to react too much when she realizes he's looking at her mouth. Being the Oracle has very few perks, but this might be one of them. Their eyes lock again and she can see him swallow and steel his nerves, exactly the way he does before a fight. "May I kiss you?" 

"Yes," and they're both smiling as they close the distance between their mouths. They're far from each other's first kiss, but Adaine's heart skips in her chest at the new excitement of it anyways.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one goes out to that rude anon who was a bitch in my inbox. here's some more of your notp sweetie :))

“Fabian?” Adaine snapped out of her trace when her crystal let out the little Bad-Kid-Calling cantrip to wake her up. She cradles her phone to her ear as she slings herself out of the warm cradle of her sheets into the chill air of her tower and stumbles towards the lightswitch. He says something, but it’s muffled and panicky and she can't quite tell what he’s trying to say. “I didn’t catch that. Where are you? Are you alright?” She scrambles through her drawers for a pair of sweatpants and grabs her wallet and keys from her desk. 

“I - no - sorry,” he says and his voice is small and rough. “I’m at my home. It was just a nightmare and I wanted -“ She can hear him swallow as she pulls Boggy from his tank and starts paging through her spellbook for  _ teleport _ . “I wanted to hear your voice.” 

“I’m right here and I’m totally fine,” she promises him and kindly ignores any particular hitches in his breathing. “I’m teleporting over now, okay?” 

“You don’t have to,” he says, but it’s weak. 

“I want to,” she says. The runes she sketched on her notepad glow blue and she plants her palm on them. There’s a moment when everything drops out from around her and then refocuses like bad crystal game graphics into the low lighting of Fabian’s bedroom. “Hey.” Her voice echoes double in the room from her mouth and through their still open phone line. 

“Hi,” Fabian’s sitting curled with his knees to his chest in the center of his enormous bed. The sheets are a twisted mess and his eyes are a little puffy. He closes the call and drops his crystal to the sheets and she swings herself up onto the bed and hands him Boggy. Fabian immediately snuggles Boggy to his chest and Boggy lets out a happy little  _ peep _ that makes him snort out a bit of a laugh. 

“Forest or dad?” She asks. Adaine would really like to wrap him up in a hug but she also doesn’t want to overwhelm him. .

“Forest,” he says. “You died. Instead of Kristen. And you didn’t have anyone to bring you back.” 

Yikes that’s bad. “Yikes,” she says. “Well, here I am, very much alive.” 

“Yeah,” he says, and then does a little full body shiver like he’s a dog shaking off water. “I am sorry to have woken you.” 

“Eh,” she says, and decides this is good enough as any of an opening to scoot closer and sit beside him, tucking her legs under the mess of blankets. “I was nearly done trancing anyways.” He curls into her side, tucking his face into her neck. "Want me to stay?"

"If you don't mind?" He mumbles against the collar of her shirt. She can already feel the sleep sinking back into his body, and like, Adaine  _ knows _ there's going to be an unpleasant conversation with Jawbone and Sandra Lynn (and probably relentless pestering from Fig) when she slinks back home tomorrow morning because she doesn't have the components to do  _ teleport _ again. But. Bad Kids first, especially when there's Nightmare Forest bullshit afoot. 

"Of course not," she strokes over his hair and settles back against the swamp of pillows he keeps on his bed.

* * *

" Kiddo," Jawbone starts when Adaine walks into the kitchen, but stops when Sandra Lynn holds up her hand. 

"Adaine," she says, and her tone is far firmer than Jawbone's is. It's always odd when Sandra Lynn does her Mom voice, because there's the echo of Arianwyn's authority but with none of the condescension or threat behind it. "You know the rules about staying overnight at significant others'."

"Text you ahead of time, use protection, don't sneak out so people will know where you are and don't think you went missing," Adaine recites. Boggy's looking a little dehydrated so she goes and drops him in the sink. "Fabian had a Nightmare King Forest dream, I went to check on him and forgot to text you where I was before I fell asleep. I'm sorry."

"It's a school night," Sandra Lynn says, but her tone has softened a little. "And we were worried when no one knew where you were." 

She does feel bad to have worried them, is the thing, but it was hardly her first priority last night. "Sorry. I'll try to remember to let you guys know where I am." 

"Okay," Jawbone says. He hands her a thermos of coffee and a slice of peanut butter toast before planting a kiss on top of her head. "We're mostly glad you're okay. Let's get going to school." 

* * *

“Fabian,” she says, pulling away from his mouth as much as she can. He’s sprawled over her, kissing her languidly into the soft foam of his mattress. Her shirt is riding up to expose her stomach and his hands are sliding gently over her skin but they’re starting to approach boob territory and while everything about this has been extremely good up until now, she's just not interested in that, thanks. Adaine’s literally killed people, but somehow forcing out the next few words feels torturous. Stupid society and stupid gender roles and stupid fears of Fabian not listening or not liking her anymore if she says no to him. “I don’t really want -“

He gets it, thank all the gods, doesn’t question her even a little bit. Just fully disengages from her, moves to sit at her side so they’re facing each other but not touching anywhere. She pushes herself up on her elbows and tugs her shirt down over her stomach and tries to calm her hammering heart. “Sorry,” Fabian says. He's flushed and his lips are red and there’s a little crease in his brow as his eyes scan over her face. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah,” Adaine says. She feels like she needs to justify herself, explain away the worry on his face, but the words for the sharp nerves that formed in the pit of her lungs when his hands were under her shirt are difficult to come by. “You’re fine, don’t worry about it, I just freaked out. It’s fine.”

Fabian gives her a Look. “Don’t be ridiculous, Adaine. Set your boundaries so I can meet them or get punched into another dimension.” She laughs at that, but his face is set. “I’m serious, Ads. I  _ want _ you to tell me what was wrong so I don’t hurt you.” He swallows. “I don’t want to find out I fucked up a day later when The Ball kicks my ass for it. I want it out between us so you can kick my ass right away.” 

He’s just. So sincere that Adaine’s heart squeezes and the knifelike instinct to placate subsides just long enough for her to stammer out, “Kissing’s great, hands up shirt’s not.” Her face is burning and she wants to crawl out of her own skin. 

“Okay,” he says. He picks one of her hands up off the bed and puts a little kiss on her knuckles. “Thank you.”

She knows he’s rolling a lot of the initiative in this relationship, but a voice like Jawbone’s in the back of her head prompts her to say, “What about your boundaries?” 

It’s his turn to look awkward. “Ah, well. Transition things. No poking at scars or commenting on... _ business _ .” 

Adaine’s pretty sure she’s got that down already. “And you’ll tell me if I fuck up?” 

He rolls his eyes a little but nods and presses another kiss to the back of her hand. “Of course, Adaine. Now, do you want to get some more kisses in or snuggle down big-style and watch  _ Solace’s Next Top Model _ ?”

“Both?” she asks hopefully. He grins, and gods above he’s hot as he leans in for an easy smooch.

* * *

**sisters (kinda)**

**Kristen:** making a cvs run do u need anything

**Kristen** : condoms, pregnancy tests, shampoo, etc. ;)

**Adaine:** yeah I'll take the biggest box of the largest condoms they sell

**Fig <33:** skdlfksks i'm wheezing good one addy

**Fig <33** : k just spit her water everywhere

**Adaine:** :P got her

**Kristen:** :(( this is bullying

**Kristen:** maybe i'll get them n e way

**Kristen:** hang them on ur door

**Kristen:** like a garland

**Adaine** : :(

**Kristen:** scarlet letter but modern

**Adaine:** now THIS is bullying

**Kristen:** jk jk love u bitch :*

**Adaine:** :) <3

**Adaine:** I actually do need shampoo though

* * *

"Fabian!" Adaine says in startled delight when he drops his hands from her eyes, looking up with wonder at the glowing lights of the front gates of  _ Six Flags: Bastion City _ . "Are you serious?" 

"No, Adaine," he says drily, even as he wraps an arm around her and starts leading her towards the gates. "We rode two hours to just look at the outside of an amusement park." 

"Oh, shut up," she says, but she's grinning, really properly joyfully excited about this. Her parents would  _ never _ have allowed her to go to something as  _ gauche _ as a theme park, despite how much Adaine begged as a child. They aren't even inside the park proper but the air is heavy with the greasy-sweet smell of junk food and the distant roar of roller coasters. "I've never been here before." 

"I figured," he says, and he swipes a card at a small gate and they're through. "My family has season passes and I thought you'd like it." Past the gates is bustling with life and lights and it's a total shock to her senses but also it's just simple pure  _ fun _ . It's a good thing Fabian seems to know where he's going because she's just gawking in every direction. "Do you like roller coasters?" 

"I don't know," she says honestly. "Maybe?"

He grins. "Let's go find out." 

She loves them, it turns out, because it gives her the same rush in her gut that doing magic does. Fabian seems absolutely delighted at the news, and they go criss-cross around the park hitting all the big ones. They talk while they're in the lines and hold hands and scream in unison on the big drops and by the time they're sitting at some gross little table to share a plate of chicken tenders and fries Adaine is feeling windswept and full of an easy adrenaline. 

"This is awesome," she says. "I feel like I've said that a hundred times already, but it is. Thank you for this." 

He's smiling but also blushing a little. "We can come back anytime, you know. Just us, or we could bring the rest of the Bad Kids too." 

"Nice," she says. The afternoon sun is warm and she's feeling more - not content, content's too peaceful.  _ Joyful _ , maybe, is the word for it. More joyful than she knows what to do with, to be here and now and running around on a nice early summer day with her boyfriend. But instead of trying to put proper words to the feeling, she says, "I'm going to win you one of those big stuffed animals this afternoon." 

And because he's Fabian, he gets it, and his eye glitters as his grin changes from something languid to something sharp with competition. "Not if I win you one first."

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me on tumblr [here](https://myclericalromance.tumblr.com)


End file.
